Board-dom reigns supreme

Tomorrow and Sun, London Arena E14, 11am to 8pm, £12 per day, £8 concs, £32 family pass.

Tel: 020 7538 1212
DLR: Crossharbour

If Heaven Is A Halfpipe, as chartbustin' rockers OPM have claimed, then London Arena adopts a strangely celestial air this weekend (no mean feat for this hangar-like venue). The UK's biggest skateboarding event to date takes place here, showcasing the gravitydefying prowess of around 200 international professionals, including British contenders such as Rodney Clarke, Simon Skipp and Danny Wainwright. It's firm proof of how skate culture has had a resurgence across the mainstream, from fashion and music to video games ( veteran skater Tony Hawks lent his name to a PlayStation classic).

Invariably, when a hardcore scene explodes, sponsorship logos prevail; it's estimated there are more than 300,000 skaters in Britain, driving a £10million economy. But this should be an impressively grand-scale flurry of adrenalin and animation - and quality hip hop sounds, purveyed by DJs such as hotly-tipped UK beatmaster Skitz, Deftex and Killa B. The music spills over to Sunday night, with a party at Cargo (83 Rivington Street EC1, 4pm to midnight, £5. Tel: 020 7739 3440).

So if you don't know your ollies from your nollies or grind-kick flipout, you can still get onboard.